“On October 7, I was a trainee myself. Now, in wartime, I am training the new soldiers.”
By The IDF Club
After a year of rigorous training, Israel’s newest HILATM combat divers have completed their demanding course, earning their coveted unit pins in a unique underwater ceremony.
The program is designed to transform recruits into elite underwater operators capable of handling the toughest maritime missions.
In the basic phase, trainees use advanced detection equipment and dive in challenging environments such as the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee. They also train in explosive ordnance handling alongside Yahalom combat engineers, preparing for maritime sabotage operations.
Graduates are assigned to either the diving platoon, which handles underwater detection and strategic equipment maintenance, or the demolitions platoon, specializing in maritime sabotage.
For Sergeant M., overseeing the final underwater ceremony held deep significance. “On October 7, I was a trainee myself. Now, in wartime, I am training the new soldiers. It is a sense of mission that is hard to put into words. When I received my pin, I was moved, and now I get to feel that fifteen times over.”
The rigorous course ensures that every graduate is fully prepared to carry out Israel’s most challenging underwater missions, reinforcing the IDF’s readiness and unmatched operational capability.
